{"id":145423,"date":"2022-01-05T12:00:41","date_gmt":"2022-01-05T16:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecornerstoneforteachers.com\/?p=144419"},"modified":"2022-03-17T09:30:29","modified_gmt":"2022-03-17T14:30:29","slug":"what-teachers-need-to-hear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/truthforteachers.com\/what-teachers-need-to-hear\/","title":{"rendered":"You are okay exactly as you are…and you have more power than you might think."},"content":{"rendered":"

I remember the day I was sitting at my desk in my classroom, my head in my hands. One of our vice principals was sitting opposite me in one of my student desks, and she asked what was wrong.<\/h2>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just so stressed out,\u201d I said, rubbing my hands over my face. \u201cThere always seems so much to do. And I never feel like I\u2019m getting the support I need.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a little more conversation, she thought for a moment, leaned toward me, and in a semi-whisper said, \u201cYou know we have an EAP program, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) was the mental health arm of our insurance plan.<\/p>\n

I was furious. Not furious at her specifically \u2014 she was a lovely person and was just trying to help. I was also not furious because I have anything against therapy. I have had many therapists. In fact, I have even been known to refer to the therapist\u2019s office as \u201cthe emotional gym.\u201d Hell, I think everyone<\/i> should be in therapy.<\/p>\n

The reason I was furious was because the message was that if I, as a teacher, was stressed out, then clearly, I<\/i> was the one who was broken. While I certainly have my issues and baggage (don\u2019t we all?), I already knew that it was really the system that was broken, not me. As educators, we have pledged allegiance to a profession that doesn\u2019t pay us enough, doesn\u2019t require or expect us to receive the same respect as other professions with commensurate training and experience, that keeps heaping obligations and responsibilities on our plates (but takes nothing off), that pays lip service to self-care and mental health, but never officially puts anything in place to take care of us. This model is unsustainable \u2014 as the recent mass exodus of teachers from the profession and dearth of candidates signing up for teacher preparation programs so heartbreakingly proves.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true that, as I sat there with my head in my hands, I didn\u2019t know that I was okay.<\/p>\n

But I was about to figure it out.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I have been showing teachers how to reduce stress and improve their self-care for over half a decade now. The entire process, as it turns out, was clearly a result of my own issues and challenges. After over twenty-five years of teaching, I was facing an overwhelming sense of stress and a grinding feeling of daily burnout. I had ten years before retirement, and I was wondering how I was going to make it<\/p>\n

I have loved every minute of the three decades I\u2019ve been teaching students to think, read, and write. But I knew something had to change. As I once told a friend: I love the job, I just hate the profession. But the ugly truth was that if I didn\u2019t find some way to cope, I wasn\u2019t going to make it. Writing has always been great therapy for me, so that was about the time I started The Zen Teacher<\/i> blog<\/a>. I knew I didn\u2019t have the bandwidth to change the entire system, but I did have the energy to change me<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Somehow, I managed to take my overwhelming, negative experience and turn it into something positive and uplifting, not only for myself, but for others. I was able to pay it forward and the only thing better than helping my own students, I\u2019ve learned, is helping other teachers \u2014 which, in turn (ironically enough) \u2014 helps their<\/i> students. The ripple effect is incalculable. It\u2019s a humbling proposition and I\u2019m happy to do it.<\/p>\n

So when I launched my podcast, The Zen Professional Moment<\/i><\/a>, I spent a great deal of time deciding on a proper sign off. As a youngster, I remember Walter Cronkite closing the CBS Evening News<\/i> every night by saying \u201cAnd that\u2019s the way it is\u201d and on America\u2019s Top 40<\/i>, Casey Kasem always reminding us to, \u201cKeep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.\u201d I wanted something like that. Something that left the listener inspired, uplifted, and with an understanding that things were going to be okay.<\/p>\n

I was looking for what we now might call a \u201cmic drop\u201d moment.<\/p>\n

So my first question was, \u201cWhat do teachers need to hear? What would I<\/i> want to hear as someone who has spent my professional life in education facing the day-to-day challenges of being in the classroom? What do teachers not hear nearly enough that might help them every time they listen to my podcast?<\/p>\n

I finally settled on two ideas:<\/p>\n

1) You\u2019re okay exactly the way you are<\/p>\n

And<\/p>\n

2) You have more power than you think.<\/p>\n

You are okay exactly the way you are<\/b><\/h2>\n

When I was a kid, I would see Mr. Rogers on my local PBS station and I would immediately change the channel.<\/p>\n

\u201cDude moves too slow,\u201d I thought. \u201cBooooooring.\u201d I was probably 8 or 9, slightly older than his intended demographic.\u00a0 And then I would wait patiently for The Electric Company<\/i>, which was on the same PBS station, and featured blackout sketches, loud music, and comedy \u2014 not to mention Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman.<\/p>\n

But now, decades later, I can\u2019t think of anything more important than what Mr. Rogers was trying to say.<\/p>\n

His basic message was that you \u2014\u00a0you right there, the person who is watching this\u00a0<\/i>\u2014 are okay exactly how you are and I love you just like that.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to change.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to do anything other than what you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to do anything but be the most you<\/i> you can be.<\/p>\n

This, I thought, was something teachers needed to hear.<\/p>\n

In education, it\u2019s so incredibly easy for us to feel as if we\u2019re not doing enough, that we need to do things differently, that we need to be<\/i> something different, or that we must jump on to every last circus train that is rolls into Educationville.<\/p>\n

But we don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

And so that\u2019s why I decided to make that one of the closing thoughts of my podcast.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll never be Mr. Rogers, of course, but if any teachers listen to my podcast (or read this blog post) and are able to internalize that message \u2014 that you are okay exactly<\/i> how you are \u2014 then I will feel that I\u2019ve done something meaningful. And I would like to think that Fred Rogers would be proud.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not saying that you shouldn\u2019t have goals or objectives or try to make things better or learn new skills. In the Zen tradition, there is a concept known as \u201cKaizen,\u201d which means \u201cconstant improvement.\u201d We should all be on that path, but that doesn\u2019t negate the fact that where you are and who you are right now, is totally, 100% okay. Jettison the stress that comes with you thinking you need to be someone other than who you are right now.<\/p>\n

Simply be where you are.<\/p>\n

You have more power than you think<\/b><\/h2>\n

I have often felt weak and powerless as a teacher, unable to fight back against the bullies, the naysayers, and even my own administration or district when they were not treating educators well. What I learned, though, is that there are a great many things under my influence, things I can control, change, and use to make my experience a more positive one.<\/p>\n

The same is true for you as well.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at a few things that are within your power and control:<\/p>\n